Asian-Pacific American History Month at Cornell: Campus partners spotlight

As part of Cornell's celebration of Asian-Pacific American History Month, I had the honor of moderating a conversation by leaders of two amazing campus partners -- Professor Christine Balance and Dr. Nancy Martinsen -- to discuss how their programs have helped raise the profile of the Asian/Asian American experience, becoming part of the academic and cultural fabric of the University

Christine is Associate Professor and Director of the Asian Alumni Studies Program, the first such program amongst the Ivies that will be celebrating its thirty-fifth anniversary in the coming 2022-23 academic year.  Nancy is the Kent G. Sheng '78 Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Asian and Asian American Center. 

Why investing in women is just good business

A change.org petition from Cornell Female Founders and Funders...

"We propose the following commitments that college endowments can pursue as part of the quest to further support a more diverse set of women and BIPOC founders and funders by June 2022:

• College endowments should transparently share the amount of funding going to women and BIPOC funders
• College endowments should formulate a strategy released by June 2022 for investing in emerging women and BIPOC fund managers

As students, faculty, staff, and alumni, we can pioneer this opportunity. As Cornellians, let’s lead this initiative."

David Swenson once wrote that endowments have "a time horizon measured in centuries." 

Let's ponder the multi-generational impact of backing a cohort that "typically invest a higher proportion of their earnings in their families and communities." (source: OECD)

The ultimate desktop appraisal FAQ?

Desktop appraisal... the very name is an artifact -- highlighting the distance the real estate tech/proptech sector needs to close on the innovation front.  The related matter of appraisal modernization is a real and pressing concern, even beyond the Biden Administration's a task force to develop the Property Appaisal and Valuation Equity Plan (PAVE).  The average age of appraisers is 50, a cohort that is 63.6% male who also happen to make over 50% more than female counterparts.  Such disparities make it hard to defend when stories of disparate outcomes crop up -- like how "Wells Fargo Rejected Half its Black Applicants in Mortgage Refinancing Boom."

But I digress, for desktop appraisals, or as I call it "collective intelligence (human/machine) real estate valuations" can drive more transparent, objective appraisals.  As you can readily conclude from my preferred term, I'm no branding expert, so for now, here's the "ultimate desktop appraisal FAQ"